Ditto, oh happy people.

(Surprised I haven't run in to any of you in the member's bar).

The Noble Lord is becoming rather pernickety, stand back and take in the wider view.

Seawall; What Seawall?

Oh you may have done but as you are suffering from the two red lines I would have been in full body and head covering PPE, drinking my gin through a sterilised straw.

Anyway regarding the 'season', as a devout heathen my celebrations were a couple of days ago.
I just adopt the Japanese approach - If the festival involves a party then I'll join in with anyone's religion.

Indeed, here in Norn Irn we don't care what religion anyone is as long as they are not catholic. We're widely regarded as being broadminded and nearly in favour of LGBTQ++, The dirty articles.

Merry Christmas, etc, with all the trimmings, to all on SH and SN.

Probably the wrong Forum, sorry, but I'm having withdrawal symptoms because Kelpie has posted few pictures of the East Antrim coast recently. Ought we blame Brexit?

Why not it will probably turn out to be. What do you mean by pernickety? As I paid off a month short of my qualifying seatime I saw the stove-in forecastle - neatly opened up like a Fray-Bentos corned beef tin, albeit a bloody enormous one. Starboard side I think but that is less well remembered.

I too am a devout heathen so I started with Diwali and have continued through Hanukkah and don't intend stopping until 12th night. I usually skip Ramadan although that is probably very good for the liver if not for the spread of verruca.

I'm not quite as brave as some on this site; I am an A-la-Carte Christian, a sort of Third Party Fire and Theft guy. But rather relieved that the Carols at Kings and Midnight Mass etc is over and we can relax and watch the Gee-Gees run in the King George. All the time hoping the tummy is ready for turkey and stuffing pieces. Isn't life just Grand.

'.. an A-la-Carte Christian, a sort of Third Party Fire and Theft guy ...'

What a brilliant description. I think that it would cover a great number of people.

Myself and my Mother are Cornish born [ Newquay ] so must be Celts .
My Dad was French [Bordeaux born ] so a Celt also .
Does that make us Heathens .

Tony

Not at all. It just means you have a genetic disposition to have garlic in your pasties (with the outside risk you call them oggies en croute).

Still testing positive. Best cooked turkey for one I have ever done. Been up to the ankles in cats, just, whilst consigning it to the bonus sized curry sauce (made yesterday while listening to Carols from King's).

Time for a mug of tea.

Much more relaxed once decision to cancel promulgated. I may do this again next year.

Not Heathen Tony ...
 

You're either Cornench or Fish, from Borquay or Newdeaux. Seasons greetings from Wanganui in New Zeland!

Is it New Year down there yet? Sometimes there are fireworks at your Sidney Harbour Bridge but Sky News hasn't shown them this year.

Eyup ES..You should be out and about raising a glass to Mac o polo who discoverd Ireland over 200 years ago today when he ran aground at Limerick. That is why the people of Ireland have Mc in front of their proper name, you should be ashamed of yourself if you did not know this.

Know little off Mr Polo or Limerick other than silly 5-line poems much favoured by the Noble Baron. Thanks to Brexit I have two Passports, neither of them worth a wank so I am dumping them in the Sea of Moyle. I will then be stateless and can appear at almost any border and claim all sorts of goodies, 5 Star accommodation, 3 square meals a day (and none of your Auntie Bessies Yorkshire Puds) or I'll have the European Court of Something or other on you like a ton (or Tonne) of bricks.
I will have my £23 per week pocket money and my wife can have a twin buggy on demand. So much for His Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State Requesting or Requiring Something or Other , after Spring in the Tyrol I'll be heading to an ex RAF Station near the coast for the Summer.
Beats 4 on, 8 off.

OK Mr Varley
If I understand you correctly you have consigned a cat(s) to a bonus sized curry sauce. Is this a recipe that you have been given by the Bandari or is covid fogging your judgment?

And a Merry Christmas to one and all, or both :pint:

Well I'm glad that's over for another year, bloody miserable Christmas dinner, she who must be obeyed served up a miserable sized Turkey and some bar steward stole the injun room Parrot :cloud: Boxing day wasn't too bad so all is not lost, had a Pink Pastie, poke of chips all lathered in curry sauce. It wasn't great though, far too many cat hairs and lumpy bits. :bad_mad:

Oh well back to the carry outs as usual, maybe even order some food to go with the booze :applause: Squeek and Eric had a good Christmas, house guests of M'Lord Varley no less :thumb:

Had a good Xmas and boxing day care of my brother .
He trained / quilified as a chef in his teens then gave it
up to drive Articulated Lorries for the rest of his working life.

Like me he lives on his own [ year younger then me at 76 ].
Invited me over and had Duck and all the trimmings Xmas day
Boxing day had pork and all the trimmings , he even picked me
up in his car .
I offered to wash the dishes but he would not let me .
So spoilt for 2 days .

I admit i am not a good cook .

Wishing all you Shipmates on here a Happy New Year .

Tony

Eyup Tmac ...Ihave found your Parrot and you can have the snappy green bastard back.......Sorry i have your Parrot mixed up with Varley

I am a heathen not a Philistine!

Turkey consigned mainly to the curry sauce but also the less appealing bits to swarm of ankle-eight cats.

This PM have taken last scrapings for their dinner (warmed first in the microwave) to be served shortly. That's the last and the carcass is now in the bin.

(Ma could make soup with carcass of turkey or chicken any attempt I have made with these disappointing. I'm OK doing it with ham-stock (of which there would also have been a surfeit had there been no need for the industrial vat of curry).

Is the Noble Lord by any chance related to the Earl of Ross? He is a bit of a messer with cables and plugs and accumulators and dc. But I digress, the point being your postings, never fully lucid, are now like clues for the Times Cryptic Crossword. You can't introduce a cat in the second act and you mustn't have a microwave in the kitchen or indeed house. One hopes you didn't get an air fryer for Christmas.
77 Sunset Strip appears to be the only chap who enjoyed the holiday, I salute him. The rest of youse are a bunch of whingers.

ES, we've still got a couple of days before New Year here in NZ and we can't see the Sydney Harbour bridge here, not even at night! If I was in Auckland (430Km North) I would be able to see the fireworks display on the Sky Tower (locally known as The Spark Plug) or maybe the light show on the Auckland Harbour bridge. Nowhere near as impressive as Sydneys display though. May you all have the best 2024 of your lives!

Ross or Rosse? I knew of the astronomy but it was a second son, Sir Charles who made headlines with the steam turbine and DC - also associated with Clarke Chapman. Perhaps of interest I cite Clarke Chapman as the makers of the only induction motors suffering from rotor bar failure that I have come across (the MG set drives of the deck machinery on Pallion Hull 19, Broompark).

A talented family, indeed, but no. No relation although I rub my common shoulder with a couple of them from time to time. Any brass came rather disreputably from Yorkshire (don't talk about how we treated slaves until you read how old John Varley treated his millworkers) for class we fondly lay claim to the line of Adam Duncan although I am beginning to think the Camperdown memorabilia may have been bought by Grandma Duncan off a Portobello Road stall, only across the road from 11 Stanley Gardens where we were 1890 - 1930).

Microwaves. The only way of making decent scrambled egg without the palaver of the Roux brothers' bain Marie. Otherwise only good for warming through, as with turkey scrapings for the cats (who then turned up their noses!). Air fryer? Don't be silly, how can one fry air?

Lest you, again, accuse me of being economic with my household details I add, here, that I not only have three cats but also a pet hen and two bee hives. Chicken NoName is very fond of fried lentils. She is also partial to cat biscuit but offering that can lead to a squabble and a squabble, I might add, that she will win. She is rather lonely at the moment as her rather overbearing companion Chard died a few weeks ago.

Air Fryer? In a couple of years time the novelty will have worn thin and it will be tucked into the back of the cupboard with the George Foreman grill and the toasted sandwich maker.

Malcolm G .

Agree with you there .
Surprising what gets put in back of cupboards .
Even find stuff in the odd drawer with what you
dont use anymore .

Tony

George Foreman grill with plug in dishwasher plates greatest thing since BC (before Covid).
Still have a few wedding presents stashed away from 1970 - only 53 years. No doubt the kids will say 'over the side' one day.

I haver an Air-Fryer. works rather well. her ladyship uses it once in a while. also hidden away are a sarnie maker, 2 waffle makers, a deep fat fryer, a bread maker and numerous bits and pieces nare to see the light of day again.
only pet is a very aggressive Dog of very mixed pedigree and we dont argue with him. lovely to look at but dangerous to exercise in the daylight hence my forced walking at 04:30 each day before breakfast.

The cats wouldn't get up that early for breakfast - but if anyone else did they'd be at the table in a flash.

Pampers are available.

Happy New year everyone! ...Hic!

Get yourself sorted billyboy, Bridlington on port bow we can go for a game of darts in the Greyhound pub and then a mootch round Boyers followed by a trip round the bay on the Boys own.

Bridlington it is then RS. Tannoy! All crew stand by for a docking manoeuvre. 2 and one each end. Gangway and shore supply cable at the ready.
Slow ahead both, follow Pilots instructions quatermaster.

Ok Mr Varley, it must have been me that was confused - shame I was going to ask for the recipe. Guess I will have to stay with my favourite, sweet and sour Hong Kong style.
Most adventurous meal I ever had was probably Barbecued Rat - I was a bit dubious until I was assured it was mountain rat, not town rat - so that was OK then. Went down well with a bottle or two of Taiwan National Breweries Beer.
4/E on the Ibn Asakir, from Norn-Eyelun, partook of some Snake in Pusan, said it tasted great in the evening, but the next morning when he brushed his teeth :p he couldn't get the flavour out of his mouth.

No shore supply at Brid but if you can find a long cable there is plenty at Dogger bank we can get Varly to swim out there. it looks like he could be a good floater.

sorry Tmac, have to have a genny running mate. only here for a short while then we move north up the east coat and call in at a few ports there.

Red Sea attracting War Bonus, Panama running out of water, freight rates on the way up and we're heading for Yorkshire. Dear God.
Full Astern, bunkers and vitalls off-limits Weymouth, lets head South and earn a few bob.

What good is a few bob at your age ...In Ireland you get a free train pass and bus pas a free phone and as many blue tablets as you can eat. We don't want to be heading to war, look what happened that french bloke Drake, he lost an eye. If you want to earn big money we should head to cape farewell Iceland and fillup with giant cod, don't forget your gutting knife.

Ah Weymouth. Not as many pubs now as when the Navy was at Portland. Those were the days when you could stand on almost any street corner and actually see a dozen watering holes.
Nowadays not much of anything, except fishing boats and yachties, but the bay makes for a pleasant anchorage at this time of year.
I wouldn’t bother with Portland Port - they want to charge loads of dosh for everything, They would even charge people for swimming if they could get away with it.

put in to Weymouth back in the early 60,s with a TID tug. Moored up not far from the bridge. went ashore with the skipper (my Father). we went into a couple of pubs there. double scotches with a worthington chaser (father being a scot from Aberdeen). Both nissed as pewts holding each other up. Next morning with a hangover we had to tow 2 pontoons to cowes. Never forget Weymouth.

White Shield? Pa praised it as the cheapest alcohol and also for gut health (by including the bottle bottom dregs one ensured a slow moving gut became rather more athletic).

(Whisky, however, both of us would have had trouble being un-teetotal were this to have been the only stuff available. I am sure we would have succeeded but it would have taken effort unlike gin, brandy, rum, PORT, etc.).